Many of these young men, students from Pisa, Pavia, Padua, and the Roman University, lie wounded in the hospitals, for naturally they rushed first to the combat.  One kissed an arm which was cut off; another preserves pieces of bone which were painfully extracted from his wound, as relics of the best days of his life.  The older men, many of whom have been saddened by exile and disappointment, less glowing, are not less resolved.  A spirit burns noble as ever animated the most precious deeds we treasure from the heroic age.  I suffer to see these temples of the soul thus broken, to see the fever-weary days and painful operations undergone by these noble men, these true priests of a higher hope; but I would not, for much, have missed seeing it all.  The memory of it will console amid the spectacles of meanness, selfishness, and faithlessness which life may yet have in store for the pilgrim.

June 23.

Matters verge to a crisis.  The French government sustains Oudinot and disclaims Lesseps.  Harmonious throughout, shameless in falsehood, it seems Oudinot knew that tire mission of Lesseps was at an end, when he availed himself of his pacific promises to occupy Monte Mario.  When the Romans were anxious at seeing French troops move in that direction, Lesseps said it was only done to occupy them, and conjured the Romans to avoid all collision which might prevent his success with the treaty.  The sham treaty was concluded on the 30th of May, a detachment of French having occupied Monte Mario on the night of the 29th.  Oudinot flies into a rage and refuses to sign; M. Lesseps goes off to Paris; meanwhile, the brave Oudinot attacks on the 3d of June, after writing to the French Consul that Ire should not till the 4th, to leave time for the foreigners remaining to retire.  He attacked in the night, possessing himself of Villa Pamfili, as he had of Monte Mario, by treachery and surprise.

Meanwhile, M. Lesseps arrives in Paris, to find himself seemingly or really in great disgrace with the would-be Emperor and his cabinet.  To give reason for this, M. Drouyn de Lhuys, who had publicly declared to the Assembly that M. Lesseps had no instructions except from the report of the sitting of the 7th of May, shamefully publishes a letter of special instructions, hemming him in on every side, which M. Lesseps, the “Plenipotentiary,” dares not disown.

What are we to think of a great nation, whose leading men are such barefaced liars?  M. Guizot finds his creed faithfully followed up.

The liberal party in France does what it can to wash its hands of this offence, but it seems weak, and unlikely to render effectual service at this crisis.  Venice, Rome, Ancona, are the last strong-holds of hope, and they cannot stand for ever thus unsustained.  Night before last, a tremendous cannonade left no moment to sleep, even had the anxious hearts of mothers and wives been able to crave it.  At morning a little detachment of French had entered by the breach of St. Pancrazio, and intrenched itself in a vineyard.  Another has possession of Villa Poniatowski, close to the Porta del Popolo, and attacks and alarms are hourly to be expected.  I long to see the final one, dreadful as that hour may be, since now there seems no hope from delay.  Men are daily slain, and this state of suspense is agonizing.